Once again: Why there are two sexes and no more In a recent post on his site “Reality’s Last Stand,” Colin Wright reprints an article he published a few months ago in Archives of Sexual behavior, outlining why there are exactly…

In the Archives of Sexual Behavior, Colin Wright explains why there are only two sexes, and debunks claims that the sexes are more numerous than that or form a spectrum.

whyevolutionistrue.com/2025/11/06/o...

I suspect the penchant for extreme Halloween decor is because you don't freeze your fingers hanging the lights.

Russian olive is a weed tree, kind of invasive. But the wood is sure beautiful.

Monarch butterflies migrate like birds. And at night, they like to roost in groups. I was lucky enough to see this flock settle into the tree at sundown.

They really are dinosaurs.

Thinking.

Got this at Memorial Blood Center (Richfield) for attempting to donate. Good at any location. They only HAVE one location - in Nordeast. Plus, I had the trainee, so didn't actually give blood, though do have a colorful bruise. Well, another day.

Do you know which breeder they came from? I used to buy from a guy in Wisconsin, only to find out they actually came from Texas. And they were mean.

Don't know why I answered the clickbait question of "your most random interaction with a celebrity" but.... Johnny Cash once pulled up to me at a traffic light and asked for directions.

Johnny Cash pulled up next to me at a traffic light and asked for directions.

I sometimes go to an Amish store. Sign on the door says "All food is sold as bear bait."

Counted three species of bumblebee on the bergamot this morning. This gorgeous lady is a Black-and-Gold. #invertebrates

Mine were the Texas Pissies.

I had to do that a few years ago on a hot hive. It worked.

Yesterday was 90 degrees. Today is 65. Taking advantage of that to get some hot stuff done.

Decided to try some cut comb at the farmers market, see if it sells. Doing it was fairly easy, but then the market got cancelled for a thunderstorm. Well, it keeps. #beekeeping

Anywhere else in the country, it's a big yawn. But in Minnesota, July tomatoes are a treat. Still a couple of weeks until there's enough poundage to can them.

If you do get them, I'd love to hear your experience. What climate zone are you in?

Oxalic is pretty good, and gentle on the brood. So is Hopguard, though it's not as effective. Formic is very effective, but can only be used in a limited temperature range, and can sometimes kill the queen. Most recommend alternating, so resistance doesn't build up.

Some do. The problem is scaling. Amitraz is easy - throw in a strip. Oxalic vapor or dribble takes more time per hive, which can be an issue for the big operations. Formic at scale is either easy+expensive, or cheap+toxic/dangerous to the operator.

Yeah, everyone ends up a mutt. It will take some long term breeding to get there. I hope Marla Spivak comes up with something as good as her MN Hygienic line, but for Varroa

I've tried them, more for their overwintering ability than for mites. (I'm in Minnesota.) They were slightly more swarmy than Carniolans, but the ones I had were not terribly ornery. Also not notably mite resistant. For ease of supply I went back to some local Carnis.

Obviously you have vast experience keeping bees in Siberian conditions. Bye.

Not at all. The hives were full of honey, with bees on it. We are in a very different climate from you. Do Irish bees even do winter clusters? Here, it's 5-6 months of winter, with extreme temperatures. I'm quite familiar with winter starvation. This isn't it.

Varroa mites are worldwide now. Australia was the last refuge, but they reached there a year or so ago.

This might work in the future, but there are no stable resistant lines that I've heard of. Russians were supposed to be the answer, until they weren't. I'm following Randy Oliver's work, but even he is still in progress.

And honestly, the USDA treats honeybees as an afterthought, at best. If 60% of beef cattle died this winter, there would be more than an unconcerned shrug.

There was plenty of honey left. A starved hive will have bees dead in the empty central comb, often with honey just an inch or two away on the edges. But they can't reach it if it's too cold. (We regularly get -10F/-23C or colder.)

The problem this year was wild temperature swings. It got warm enough for them to break their winter cluster, then they froze when the temp dropped again. Bees all over the feed, out to the edges - that's the giveaway.

Nope. In cold climates (this is Minnesota) condensation is a problem, and fondant or even dry sugar is used in order to help control it. The bees feed on it just fine. (See the holes where they've eaten all the way through.)